Standing the Test of Time
by kobebeef
Summary: Here's the long awaited sequel to 'Secrets and Heroes'. Can the residents of Evergreen overcome their own misfortunes to come together to save the Forest from it's demise?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Finally, some peace and quiet. A warm, orange light starts to pierce through the window, bathing the room in an epic glow. The two raccoons in bed don't seem to notice, as both of them are sound asleep and sub-consciously are enjoying every second, minute, and sometimes hour that they can take in. The whispers and heresy are true about parenthood; it is one of the most fortunate experiences of adulthood, but is probably the most demanding. At the end of the day, those little sacrifices are worth it when you see your son or daughter's growth, both physically and mentally. Baby's first words. Baby's first steps. Allowing your child to sleep in your room while they are suffering a fever. Your son's first base hit. Your daughter's first girl guides meeting. When the day winds down, you feel exhausted. But when that angel smiles up at you for your attention, it is an instant jolt of adrenaline.

As that low energy bar is getting recharged, another individual has different plans. That perfect piece of stillness is now interrupted by a high-pitched whine of a youngster that doesn't know any better. You just think that they play by their own rules. In the case of infant Justice Raccoon, he is setting the boundaries to his own drummer.

"Bert honey, can you get that?" asked a sleepy Lisa while lying on her side, trying not to open her eyes to instill her leverage on the situation.

After a moment with no response, she asks again.

"Bert, I was up last time at three am. It's your turn."

Another momentary pause comes, and mother has had enough. An elbow to the rib cage of her unsuspecting husband is a rude wake-up call for any raccoon, but it was not without fair warning.

"Oh…ouch!" as Bert temporarily grabbed his ribs. "Okay, okay! I'm going!"

Bert lazily picked himself off the bed and sleepily walked out of the bedroom. Justice's nursery is located two doors past the master bedroom, just across the hall from his older sister Cynthia's room. Fortunately for Bert, Cynthia is a pretty deep sleeper, so Justice's whaling usually goes unnoticed. As Bert enters the nursery, he could see a bright-eyed kit sitting up in his crib, waiting to explore the new day.

"Hey there lil' Jus," said Bert to his son after rubbing the sleep away from his eyes. "Could you have waited for another half hour? Your daddy needs his beauty rest."

Justice looked up at his father with a fondness and a giggle. He knew his parents well; his dad was always the one to rush to his displeasure, and his mother is the bad cop. He lifted his arms and started to whimper after Bert started dozing off against the edging of the crib.

"Okay, let's go," said Bert, snapping out of his haze as he lifted his son out of the crib.

Justice voiced his appreciation and started to laugh as his attention changed at the drop of a hat. As Bert was walking with him out of the room, Justice caught a glimpse of his favourite stuffed bear, which caused Bert to stop.

"Oh boy, we better not forget him!" said Bert as he bent down and picked up Ruffin, Justice's prized stuffed bear and playmate. "He needs his breakfast too, right kiddo?"

After a bubbly laugh, Justice agreed. Even though his circle of friends is very small at his age, Justice knows where his loyalties lie.

Once Bert started the coffee maker, Lisa got up about fifteen minutes later. She was wearing her housecoat, with her shoulder length hair out of its regular ponytail and a little ruffled. After only getting about four hours this past night, this isn't Lisa's greatest hour.

"I see you decided to get up after all," noted her husband with a hint of cockiness. "You're lucky; I was going to unleash my peanut butter waffles once again!"

Lisa's face soured by that thought. Even though she liked peanut butter from time to time, there were also some things about Bert that she could rather go without. "Peanut butter again? I'd swear Bert that you think it's the fifth food group."

"What? I thought there was only one; peanut butter and peanut products!" joked back Bert. "Okay, okay. I've got the coffee started. Is there anything you would like sweetheart?"

"I just need to wake up first. We'll wait until Cynthia gets up."

They didn't need to wait long to find out. About ten minutes later, Cynthia burst out of her bedroom with gusto. Now just about seven, she is starting to gain some independence through playing with her friends and other activities now. With it currently being summer, the whole forest was now her playground. "Good morning Mom and Dad!" boasted Cynthia proudly. She went over to Justice and gave him a playful nuggie on top of his head. "And you too, little brother."

Justice started to whine, but started to smile as he saw who it was.

"Ready for another day of fun kiddo?" Bert asked.

"You bet Dad," said Cynthia. "I'm going with Tyler and Roxy to my new friend Betsy's place today. We'll probably do some swimming and we'll play tag too, it's going to be fun!"

"Sounds like fun dear, but remember to stay in the shallow end of the pool," said Lisa carefully, not to disappoint her.

"We will Mom, and Betsy's older brother Reggie will be there too; he knows CPR and is a friend of Tyler's."

"Don't worry, Mom, Cynthia's in good hands; the Shorthorns are a very good family. I've met their mother at parent interviews once, she's a very nice woman who is thankful for our kids' friendship with their children," replied Bert. The Shorthorns are a cow family that moved to the Forest in the last year or so due to job opportunities. The father, Ross, is an auctioneer for a livestock company and his wife, Allie, is a teacher at Evergreen Elementary, replacing the retired Miss Primrose. They have three children; Milson, Reggie, and, Betsy. Their oldest son is a star football player at Mountainview High; with Reggie just completing Grade four and Betsy the same age as Cynthia.

"I remember running into Mr. Shorthorn once at Mr. Willow's and we started talking about the produce; seems like a nice guy," said Lisa. Then she changed the subject. "What would you like for breakfast sweetie?"

Cynthia looked bright-eyed at her father and stared back at Lisa. Lisa's face frowned as Bert and Cynthia looked at each other again and said together, "peanut butter waffles!"

"Oh no," sighed Lisa. "I guess you really are a Daddy's girl."

Once Bert made his waffles and Lisa made breakfast for Justice, they all sat down and started to chat about the upcoming day.

"What are you going to do today Daddy?" asked Cynthia in between mouthfuls of waffle.

"Well," began Bert, "I haven't given it much thought sweetie. I would usually be going to work today, but your uncle Cedric gave all staff the day off because we've been working so much lately."

"You know Bert," said Lisa, "the lawn needs mowing. And I think that the weeds need to be pulled in the garden, and…"

"I know!" exclaimed Bert before Lisa could finish, "it's been a while since I've seen Herman in the swamp. I don't teach him to read much anymore because I've been so busy lately. Today looks like a good day to visit him," finished Bert while looking outside the front window, showing the brilliant glow to the start of the day outside.

"Well, we do have stuff to do around the house," groaned Lisa, "but you're right. I haven't heard from him in a while, so that sounds like an idea. The weeds can wait another day. Besides, I wouldn't mind getting some sun today, and I could go see Melissa later…"

"I want to come with you!" exclaimed Cynthia.

"But I thought you wanted to go swimming with your friends," reminded Lisa. "The swamp isn't the safest place to be…"

"But Mom…"

"Listen to you mother," said Bert. "I'll show you the swamp when you're older. Go have fun with your friends lil' darlin'."

"Okay," replied Cynthia, not showing much resistance as she began eating her breakfast again.

* * *

After playing with his son for a while after breakfast, Bert started on his way towards the swamp. With Cedric having to tend to his own family now and Bentley enjoying most of his summers with Annie, he decided to go alone. After walking nearly five miles, he finally found the outer edge of the swamp, or at least, the smell of the swamp found him, as the heat of the day mixed with the rotting vegetation was coming together to produce a bittersweet aroma. Thankfully, the mosquitoes are staying away because of that same heat.

"Hey, the old raft is still here!" boasted Bert to himself once he got to the swamp's edge. He loaded the raft and was off to the races. The wood was wearing away somewhat, but is still solid enough to at least hold Bert's weight. "This sure beats those swamp shoes," he recalled, thinking back to the times of stumbling across the swamp's surface with mixed results.

The swamp hadn't changed much from what Bert could remember. Cyril and the pigs removed all the memories of oil exploration from it, so it looked just like the first day he and Cedric set out on their journey years ago. A few trees were either more slanted or completely gone in some spots, so the swamp is more wide open now. After about a half hour, Bert could finally see the big house in a tree that is Herman's home. "Great! Not much further now!" he exclaimed.

After ten more minutes, Bert reached the dock of Herman's house and proceeded to tie the raft to it. He climbed the ladder up to the house, and couldn't help but notice that the front porch looked a little…trashed. A few broken jars were strewn along the porch, along with some books. Bert just didn't have a good feeling about what he's going to see inside. "Her, Herman?" spoke Bert tentatively. "Are you here?"

Bert knocked on the door and after three knocks, opened the door. With Herman living so far in the swamp, intruders were non-existent. Or so he thought…

"Herman! Are you okay? Are you here?" asked Bert, starting to panic. The porch outside was just the beginning to what was inside. The table was overturned. The shelving in the kitchen was smashed. The curtains were ripped up in the bedroom. Bert commenced to check the house once he grabbed an iron rod beside the old stove to feel safe. After checking over the house repeatedly for fifteen minutes or so, he couldn't find any traces of Herman.

"This is really weird," said Bert. "Nobody has any problems with Herman. And being tucked away back here, he is hard to find." Bert stood there thinking for a moment. "I wonder if there are any clues to what happened to him somewhere…"

Bert began looking through the books lying everywhere, and found a book in the bedroom that had some pages missing in spots. It was from a book very familiar to Bert, called _Jungle Adventure_, the first book that Bert gave to Herman. "I wonder where these ripped pages ended up?" wondered Bert, skimming through the book.

With not much else turning up in his search, Bert started to get discouraged. "I better go to the police and tell Zoey about this." As his mind was in a different place, he stumbled on the mat at the doorway of the kitchen and chuckled a little. "It's good that I don't have any peanut butter vodka in me." Then he saw a piece of paper under the mat, which caught his attention.

"Let's see here," he said before he began to read the short note, which was tattered and damp. 'They want what I got. I hope someone find this before it too late.' Bert felt shivers go down his spine as he read it. For all he knew, this note could have been from yesterday, last week, or last month. "I better get going; I sure don't like the sounds of this," said Bert worriedly as he started rafting back towards the shore.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

With the sun shining brightly on this beautiful July mid-morning, Cedric figured that today would be a great day to enjoy the outdoors. Although Cedric loved his father, he wanted to do things his way to separate himself from his over-bearing dad. This included spending less time micromanaging and more time with his family and personal activities.

"You know what Sophia," began Cedric as they were cleaning up after breakfast, "today would be a great day to enjoy a long walk, maybe a picnic in the Forest. What do you say?"

"That's a great idea Cedric," replied Sophia. "It's been a while since we took a stroll through the Forest." Then she glanced outside at the window behind Cedric. "And today looks like a great day to do so."

"I'll go get lil' Cyril cleaned up then if you wanted to get the basket together," said Cedric. "I'm sure he'll enjoy the great outdoors too!"

Cyril was asleep in his high chair when Cedric went to pick him up. Unlike Justice, Cyril was sort of lazy and more of a sleeper. He groaned a little when his father picked him up, but Cedric started to bounce him around on his shoulder, which pleased the young aardvark.

"Let's get your stuff together," said Cedric. "We'll go down to see your 'aunt and uncle' today. From the print on your face sometimes, you seem to like newspapers it seems." Cedric chuckled.

After an hour or so, the Sneers left the mansion. With the pigs at the TV station now, an older Snag and a couple of bear guards were the only help on the premises these days. Since Cedric took over sole ownership, he turned half of the mansion into offices for Evergreen Enterprises. He felt that he didn't need all the space for his family; even if they had a few more children, both he and Sophia decided all the space could be used more efficiently. The basement was now used for storage; and half of the main level was now the office area.

Once they strolled through the tundra of green, trees, and flowers, the young family noticed that they could see The Standard office not far off.

"Hey, I wonder what Ralph and Melissa are up to today," pondered Sophia.

"Let's go find out," said Cedric, pushing Cyril in his stroller.

The Evergreen Standard's office is now more updated and plush than its original landmark. With the windfall that both Melissa and Bert enjoyed from the sale of Ringtail Works, the paper got that great shot of 'steroids' to take the next step in its development. The old fishing shack is now replaced by a log cabin that is at least double in size; and moved farther landward. The building is air conditioned and a large sofa is located near the front entrance for clients or customers. The only object that wasn't replaced was the printing press, as it was only about five years old when the upgrades came. Ralph and his part-time writers had new desks; and Melissa's photo shop took on a huge jump in customer sales due to the increased capacity of her 'den'. The Standard looks almost too upscale to the original and for Ralph and Melissa's realm; but now that they were competing with larger papers, this was needed. Since Bert was now working for Cedric along with Bentley, the couple needed to replace and broaden its staff. Melissa hired her cousin Maxie to run the photo shop part-time, and even though Annie was back working for the summer, Ralph hired a young reporter that was referred to him by his buddy Jack Bouncer. The young wolf worked with Jack on a few assignments during his university days like Annie, but he needed a more stable gig to get his start in the industry. So Ralph hired the young lad in January, and has never had any regrets.

The door was slightly open and as Cedric knocked on it, it opened more. He noticed the young reporter was sitting at his computer and diligently typing. He looked up from the screen for a break in the action and noticed Cedric with his family. "Hi Cedric!" boasted the young Russell Timber. Russell is basically the young version of Cedric, complete with square instead of round glasses. His voiced sounded a lot like Bix Wheelie's, but the similarities between the two ended there.

"Oh, hi Russell," replied Sophia. "Working on the next big story?"

"I'm just typing up an entertainment column about the performance from a new group at the Blue Spruce last night," said Russell. "Bert's been telling me some good things about them, so I went down last night to check them out. Payback put on a good show. I think Bert might be onto something." He stared back at his screen. "But I don't want to tell you too much more; that would defeat the purpose of the article!"

They all chuckled before Cedric spoke up again. "That's true Russell. Is Ralph or Melissa around by chance?"

Just before Russell replied, Melissa came out of her photo office with a stack of prints. "Hi Cedric, Sophia! Oh, and you too lil' Cyril!" She said while coming to the stroller and tickling the baby aardvark under his chin, which made him giggle.

"Hi Melissa," said Sophia. "Cedric and I decided to take some time and go for a picnic and a bit of a stroll. It's a beautiful day."

"And we wanted to check in and see how you guys were doing," added Cedric. "Are you busy, Melissa? Would you and Ralph like to join us?"

Melissa didn't need too much convincing. Being six months pregnant now, her energy levels are not nearly at the same mark as before pregnancy. Taking breaks were more important, and was very thankful that Maxie was helping her in the photo lab now. "I would love too. I'll leave a note for Maxie if she comes in before we get back. I'll have to track down Ralph; he's out at the Evergreen Train Station doing a piece on the changes in travel departures to the larger centres; they're cutting back the number of trips to Edmonton and Calgary from three to two a week. It's creating a little stir, and you know Ralph; he's got to get the latest!"

The group shared another chuckle. "Good ol' Ralph," said Cedric. "He still works just as hard as when the paper first started. He's got to delegate more." He mentioned the last part while pointing to Russell, who was once again typing away on his computer.

"I don't think it's a trust thing," said Melissa. "It's just that I think he's been doing it himself for so long, that he can't give it up. Bert was more of a helper than a reporter when he was here; but Russell is more talented and needs an opportunity. I think it will come with time. Let me go page Ralph; I'm sure he'll be up for a little lunch."

After a few minutes across town, Ralph's pager started to buzz. Ralph hated these little devices, but not so much at the moment since he had just finished talking with the station conductor and had all he needed for his article. "It's the office. I wonder what's up."

He walked back up to the front desk of the station, and was once again greeted by the friendly rabbit clerk. "You want to see the conductor again, Ralph?"

"No need ma'am; I'm finished with the article," replied Ralph. "But I would like to use the phone."

"Certainly," said the clerk. She pulled the phone up from behind the desk and set it on the top of the ledge.

After dialing the number, the phone rang twice before someone picked up. "Evergreen Standard, Melissa speaking."

"Hi honey," said Ralph. "Is everything okay? Is the baby bugging you?"

"The baby might give me a boot every now and again, but everything's fine," said Melissa. "I paged you because Cedric and Sophia are here with Cyril, and wondered if we'd like to go on a picnic with them. Are you done at the station?"

"I'm just wrapping up here; so that sounds like a great idea. I can work on this article afterwards," said Ralph.

"We'll be waiting," replied Melissa before she hung up.

The couples walked over to the raccoon's old clubhouse, as it wasn't too far of a walk for Melissa but everyone can still enjoy the scenery. The raccoon couple will especially enjoy this little fiesta; as Ralph and Melissa have dove in feet first again with The Standard and have been once again working long hours. Melissa was pretty much exhausted at the end of most days, and Ralph has been finding it harder and harder to keep up his active lifestyle he developed after his cancer scare. But there's one thing that hasn't changed: the twosome have always and still make time for each other.

"Wow, the lake looks beautiful today; even if it's not as clear as it once was," said Cedric while they were sitting along the front of the clubhouse on blankets after finishing their lunch. With the chemical dumping six years ago and the Mount Vulcan disaster a year afterwards, the lake is still somewhat cloudy. But with the quick cleanup and a little time, the lake is starting to round into form once more. Some of the hardier species of fish have just been reintroduced this spring and the water is slowly returning to a better quality.

"It really is Cedric," began Melissa. "This is just one of those great summer days that everything is near perfect. Just the right breeze, the right temperature…"

"Say, where's Bert to give us the weather report?" joked Ralph.

"I can't say that I got swept up in a tornado this time," Cedric chuckled.

"That Bert," started Sophia, "even though he has matured, he has quite the imagination. I think that's what makes him such a good dad."

"That little girl of his worships the ground that her dad walks on," said Melissa, referring to Cynthia and Bert. "Her life got turned upside-down and Bert was there every step of the way with her. It's really amazing how close his whole family has come together in such a short time."

"If there's a good flaw about Bert," began Ralph, "is that he is loyal to a fault. He is always there for everyone. Through the decades, he hasn't changed one bit. And with everything he's been through, that's a very rare trait."

"Not to mention, Lisa was very forgiving of him," said Sophia. "But we all make mistakes at times. Bert has worked hard to correct his."

Everyone nodded their heads in approval and looked back across the lake once more to soak in the beautiful sounds and scenery.

"You have to say," Ralph started, breaking the silence, "the Forest has recovered nicely from the couple of disasters we have had. I think we take this place for granted sometimes."

"You know, you're right," said Cedric. "We work so hard, that we need to stop and take a breather every now and again."

"Even with the changing of the landscape, I'm thankful every day I wake up that your father didn't start that oil company," said Melissa. "It is a valuable resource, but it would have totally changed the Forest. Instead of Evergreen Forest being a resort town, it would have become a rich, but severely damaged locale. It would never be the same."

"That's why everyone has a voice, no matter how small," said Ralph. "We can all have an impact. Now, we are impacting the communication world. I knew that I wanted to follow my dream, but I never knew that we would be changing the Canadian media landscape."

"A few years ago, I didn't see it either," said Cedric. "Pop would have just carried on with his various niches, but now we are really making a difference."

As the group smiled and relaxed themselves once more, it was time to get back at it. As they were packing up, Melissa's pager rang.

"Who is it, Melissa?" asked Ralph.

Melissa looked at her pager. "I don't know, honey. I don't recognize the number."

"Here, let's see," said Ralph, grabbing her pager. "Hmm, I don't remember this number either. Maybe a wrong number?"

"Perhaps. I'll call it if it buzzes again," replied Melissa. After she finished, she began to feel very uneasy. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she just shrugged it off and was ready to get back to the lab to finish the day's prints.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

As much as he loves being an entrepreneur, days like today can drag on for what seems like days. But this was such a day that Schaeffer can get some much needed work tidied up around the Blue Spruce. Besides, usually after nights like last night with a band performing, the establishment needed some TLC afterwards. After putting some tables back in place, Schaeffer was ready for a little break.

"Aahh," Schaeffer said as he relaxed into his office chair with his paws behind his head while he looked out the window. His small office was located just beside the storage room, with a front view of the restaurant outside. This way, he can still see if anyone is coming in without always having to be at the bar or kitchen.

After taking a sip of his afternoon coffee, Schaeffer took a look at his wedding ring on his index finger. "I can't believe with everything I've been through," he reminisced, "that I am married to a woman I really cherish. I thought it was too late for me." He took a look at the wedding picture of Zoey and himself on the desk. "I've couldn't have asked for anything more. I have my own business, I have great friends, and a great wife. Whoever would have thought that was possible?"

Schaeffer never was one to be outwardly selfish, but he always envied Ralph, Bert, and Cedric for having that special someone in their lives. Being the good friend, he would always lend an ear to listen to the bickering that might be going on, or asking about the reasons why they might be tired, or even be listening to their future aspirations. But who was there for Schaeffer when times got tough? Or someone to share the good times with? Yeah, having friends is great, but having that special gal just made things that much better.

Schaeffer began to reminisce once more. "That wedding day was something else." He took a look at the picture again. "Zoey is beautiful, but she was absolutely gorgeous that day." That day in May was quite the day for Schaeffer and Zoey; a sunny, calm afternoon at the Evergreen Chapel surrounded by friends and family. Even though he wished some of his family could have made it, it was a special day none the less. After looking into her eyes and saying their 'I dos', the reception at the Blue Spruce afterwards was something he would never forget. To his surprise the whole place was decorated with flowers and white décor in a very short time. And even better, the band was none other than his friends, who are now the house band of the Blue Spruce Café. Bert and the gang sang favourites of rock 'n roll well into the night, giving the place a very social atmosphere.

Just as he was in the middle of his daydream, the phone rang. "Hello, Blue Spruce Café!"

"Schaeffer it's me," said Zoey. "How's life down at the café today?"

"It's slow, like it normally is in the middle of the day," said Schaeffer. "I hope my angel isn't getting too run down at the cop shop!"

"Unfortunately, I'm about to," said Zoey. "Bert came in here ranting and raving telling me that Herman Stroll is missing after he went by his place today. He said that the house was ran-sacked, and he found a note under his doormat that could be the last piece of evidence he left."

"What? How do you think anything like this could happen here?" wondered Schaeffer aloud.

"I don't know, but you're right darling, something's up when stuff like this comes up. Since I'll be working on leads, I'm going to be home late tonight. So don't wait up for me at home."

"At least that gives me an excuse to stay here at the café tonight," replied Schaeffer. "That means I can give my evening manager the night off. Calvin has been working pretty hard lately."

"You do that hon. Until I get help back at the station here, I'll be working long hours again. Talk to you soon darling. I love you." With that, Zoey hung up.

After hanging up, he noticed a couple that looked very familiar to him coming into the Blue Spruce. He took another sip of coffee and strolled into the dining area to greet them.

"Hi Schaeffer!" greeted Bentley brightly, with Annie latched to his arm.

"Hi Bentley, Annie," cheerfully replied Schaeffer. "Off on a Friday, you two?"

"We are pretty much caught up at _The Standard_, so Ralph and Melissa gave me the afternoon off," said Annie. "So, it gave us a good chance to go on a date."

"And Cedric gave his staff a long weekend," said Bentley. "The weather is so awesome today. We're even going to go...ouch!"

"Bentley! Not now!" exclaimed Annie. She smiled as she turned her attention back to Schaeffer. "We're just seeing where this day will take us."

"That's great you two," said Schaeffer. "What can I get the two of you?"

"A large chocolate milkshake," said Bentley.

"You got it," said Schaeffer. As Schaeffer started with the shake, they made small talk over the counter.

"Are you keeping off the wagon?" asked Schaeffer, referring to Bentley's drinking.

"Yep, about six months free now," said Bentley proudly. "I never knew that I can still have fun without it. I'm just finding other ways to fill the void. I babysit a fair bit now, so I have fun in other ways."

"And now I'm back," said Annie, grinning. "I can keep an eye on him; make sure he doesn't get into any trouble!"

"As long as it's with you," smiled Bentley, rubbing noses with her. "How is it going between you and Zoey?"

"It's been great," Schaeffer smirked. "We do all sorts of stuff together. I even got her to start learning karate! We go hiking. Unfortunately, that might have to be put on hold for a while."

"What do you mean?" asked Annie.

"Herman Stroll is missing. Bert went by there today to visit him, but his place was broken into, with no sign of him."

"Is that the guy that Bert was teaching how to read?" asked Bentley.

"And the same guy that owns Beaver Bite Swamp?" asked Annie.

"Yep. So now that there is a disappearance, Zoey will be working hard to get to the bottom of it," said Schaeffer. "I just hope this all ends well. Cases like this can go either way. Look what happened with your sister."

"That was horrible," replied Bentley meekly. "And the way it ended, I'm really thankful that she's alive. I hope nothing happened to Herman."

"I think we should keep a level head for now," said Annie. "You always assume the worst, but until we know more, we have to keep on the lookout and come together as this great community usually does."

The other two nodded in agreement. "Here you two; enjoy your shake," said Schaeffer to the young raccoon couple as they went to grab a corner table.

"Thanks Schaeffer," said Bentley. "Talk to you later."

"Anytime." As Schaeffer walked back into the kitchen, he noticed the large evergreen trees looking very bright as the afternoon sun reflected off them. He had potatoes sitting in a sink of cold water to be peeled for the supper run, and started on them while looking out the window.

"I moved out here to get away from the craziness," muttered Schaeffer to himself. "Why does there always have to be something going wrong with my friends? Is it me? Or do I have to do something about it?" Schaeffer sighed as he continued peeling the potatoes.

Meanwhile, back in the dining area, Bentley and Annie were enjoying each other's company.

"What do you want to do this afternoon?" asked Bentley.

"We could go up to the clubhouse, go hiking, go…"

"Or, we could go on an adventure," finished Bentley.

"You mean…Beaver Bite Swamp?" asked Annie, surprised.

"Yeah, that type of adventure. You could get the latest scoop for _The Standard_. Besides, we've been to the clubhouse and stuff a thousand times."

"But it smells there! I don't want to go there!" exclaimed Annie.

"You have to say, it would be a good way to get the story first hand," said Bentley. "We can go furry-dipping later darlin'."

As Bentley was talking to Annie, an older muskrat walked in with a top hat and cane. He decided to grab a round table off to the side of the dining area.

"Well, you're right there," said Annie. "This would really impress Ralph and Melissa! As long as we, ah, you know later…"

"Of course babe," said Bentley, grabbing her hand. After finishing their chocolate shake, the pair bounced up and headed for the door. "Beaver Bite Swamp it is!" exclaimed Bentley as they ran off.

The muskrat noticed the young couple around _The Evergreen Standard_ he was reading. He decided that they couldn't do much damage now, so he let them have their fun. "I'll be watching you two," he muttered to himself as he went back to reading Ralph's daily column.


End file.
